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A Plantar Fibroma Causes Arch Pain

A plantar fibroma is a soft tissue anomaly that forms on the plantar fascia, which is the wide band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and forms your arch. Nodules and cords can form in the deeper tissue of the plantar fascia and can cause your toes to become bent and stiff, making walking and exercising progressively more painful as the condition worsens.

The nodules that cause this problem can be dormant for years and then start acting up again.

Hereditary factors play a role in fibroma formation and other risk factors include wearing high-heeled shoes regularly, the side effects from certain medications, and trauma from foot injuries.

Diagnosing and treating a plantar fibroma includes the following:

Physical exam—Your foot doctor will perform a foot exam to check for a fibroma.

Imaging studies—X-rays or MRI images are used to confirm the existence of the fibroma by differentiating it from the surrounding tissue.

Orthotics and toe spacers—Specially designed inserts and toe spacers can be used to redistribute the weight and remove some of the stress from the fibroma.

Switch your shoes—Talk to your foot doctor about changing your shoes to a flatter style with more toe room to help take the pressure off the plantar fibroma

Surgery—In the more severe cases, cryosurgery that freezes the nodules with liquid nitrogen may be required. This in-office procedure is nearly painless and has very few complications after the surgery.

A visit to your foot doctor will help rule out other causes of your arch pain like nerve tumors, cysts, or tendon damage.